45: There are no cowards in the Lin family!
The joy of the Family reunion did not linger long in Lin Qian's office.
Lin Zhengchu left with his distraught sister to arrange accommodation and his granddaughter's medical treatment.
Lin Yunshi and several other Juniors also tactfully excused themselves, leaving only Lin Qian and Lin Yunshi, grandfather and granddaughter, in the spacious office.
"Grandpa, you... are very happy today."
Lin Yunshi looked at Lin Qian, the old man who had single-handedly created the miracle of Anqing City. The gentle expression remaining on his face was something she had never seen since her Rebirth.
Lin Qian walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the vibrant university campus below. "As one gets older, one always yearns for children and grandchildren around. Your aunt being able to return has fulfilled a wish of mine."
He turned around, looking at his most valued granddaughter.
"Yunshi, in your past life's memory, did your aunt's return exist?"
Lin Yunshi shook her head. "No. In my previous life, until the Family's demise, I never saw my aunt again."
This meant that this butterfly, which had deviated from its course, had already flapped its wings enough to change fate.
Lin Qian hummed in acknowledgment and said no more.
He returned to his desk and sat down, habitually muttering in his heart.
"System, check in."
"Ding! Check-in at Anqing City Martial Arts University's Principal's Office successful!"
"Congratulations to the Host for triggering a tenfold critical reward! Obtained: Ten portions of Martial Arts Enlightenment!"
Lin Qian sat up straight.
Tenfold critical hit?
This was the first time he had received such a reward since obtaining the System.
One portion of Martial Arts Enlightenment could save him several days of arduous cultivation.
Ten portions of Martial Arts Enlightenment stacked together would have an effect far greater than simple addition.
Originally, he estimated that it would take at least a month of painstaking effort to step into the Fifth-Grade.
Now, that time had been infinitely shortened.
"Yunshi, from now on, I will enter seclusion. You will handle all matters of the university and the Family. Do not disturb me unless Anqing City faces an existential crisis." Lin Qian's instructions were concise and powerful.
Lin Yunshi's heart tightened. She understood that her grandfather was about to assault that entirely new Realm.
"Yes, Grandpa!"
Lin Yunshi exited the office and personally stood guard outside, not allowing anyone to approach.
Inside the office, Lin Qian was already sitting cross-legged.
He did not hesitate and directly chose to absorb those ten portions of Martial Arts Enlightenment.
Vast and pure Martial Arts principles transformed into a torrent, washing over his spiritual sea.
The barrier between the Fourth Grade Peak and the Fifth-Grade now felt as thin as a cicada's wing in his perception.
The surging Qi and blood within him began to circulate according to a profound trajectory.
Eighteen thousand calories... Twenty thousand calories... Twenty-five thousand calories... The total amount of Qi and blood skyrocketed, but the real transformation occurred within.
A pure and refined power of Qi and blood, under his control, began to carefully envelop his heart.
This was the most important symbol of a Fifth-Grade Martial Artist: tempering the five internal organs.
The five internal organs and six viscera were the foundation of the human body, yet also the most fragile.
Tempering them with violent Qi and blood was like dancing on a tightrope; a slight misstep could lead to organ rupture and the demise of one's Dao.
But those ten portions of Martial Arts Enlightenment allowed Lin Qian's control over Qi and blood to reach an inconceivable level.
The power of Qi and blood was like gentle spring water, slowly permeating, nourishing, and strengthening.
Each beat of his heart became more powerful, pumping out blood carrying a scorching energy that flowed to his limbs and bones.
Next were the liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
The first tempering proceeded more smoothly than imagined.
When the tempering of the five internal organs was complete, Lin Qian's entire skeletal muscles emitted subtle popping sounds like stir-fried beans.
The thirty thousand calories of Qi and blood within him seemed to find an outlet, circulating with a roar, forming a perfect grand circulation.
Martial Arts Fifth-Grade, achieved!
Lin Qian opened his eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air.
The first tempering of the five internal organs, even with the tenfold critical enlightenment bonus, was still so perilous.
What about the second and third times?
The difficulty would only increase exponentially.
Intermediate Martial Artists, one grade, one heaven; every step was a challenge to the limits of the human body... Meanwhile, in the resettlement housing in the south of the city.
Everyone in the Ping Family was gathered around the television, the atmosphere heavy.
The television was broadcasting Anqing City news. In the picture, Lin Yunshi, dressed in military uniform, was inspecting the city wall with heroic spirit, issuing commands to the army generals dispatched by the Dragon Country.
"...Lin Yunshi, branch president of the Anqing City Martial Arts Alliance and vice principal of Anqing City Martial Arts University, stated that Anqing City has made thorough preparations. We have the confidence and ability to protect the safety of all citizens..."
Ping Chong looked at his niece on TV, then at his two timid sons, Ping Qi and Ping Yan, beside him. A profound sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
Lin Zhengyuan's two daughters-in-law whispered enviously.
"Is that Mom's niece? She's so amazing, a Martial Artist in her twenties, and she commands so many soldiers."
"When will we become Martial Artists?"
Their Qi and blood still hovered around three hundred calories, not even touching the threshold of a Martial Artist.
Lin Zhengyuan walked in from outside, listening to her daughters-in-law's words, saying nothing.
She slapped a document on the table.
"This is Lin Yangshu's information."
Ping Qi and Ping Yan picked it up to read, puzzled.
"Lin Yangshu, fourth generation of the Lin Family, currently seventeen years old, a First Rank Peak Martial Artist, about to Breakthrough to Second Grade. Leader of the Blazing Sun Hunting Group, has led his team into the wilderness over fifty times, hunted over three hundred exotic beasts, with zero team member deaths."
The two sons were terrified by what they read.
This was also their Junior, but this resume was simply a fantasy.
"Mom, why are you showing us this?" Ping Qi asked softly.
"Why?" Lin Zhengyuan's voice suddenly rose, "You two, report tomorrow and join Yangshu's Hunting Group!"
"What?!" Ping Qi and Ping Yan exclaimed simultaneously.
"Mom! No! It's too dangerous! People die in the wilderness!"
"Yeah, Mom, with our strength, wouldn't going there be suicide? Isn't it better to do some logistics in the city?"
Their timid appearance completely ignited the fire in Lin Zhengyuan's heart.
She thought of her elder brother Lin Zhengchu's pride, her niece Lin Yunshi's prestige, and her father's impossibly young face and unquestionable command.
No one in the Lin Family was a coward!
"Logistics? Do you want to spend your lives processing the corpses of exotic beasts, relying on the Lin Family's name to muddle through?"
Lin Zhengyuan pointed at them, questioning word by word: "Your cousin, Lin Yangshu, is younger than you, yet he can fight for his life against exotic beasts in the wilderness! You two grown men, do you only dare to hide behind the city wall?"
"You bear the Ping surname, but Lin Family blood also flows in your veins! I'm telling you, this is non-negotiable! You must go tomorrow! Even if you die, you must die on the path of charge! I will not allow my sons to be two good-for-nothings!"
Her words were like slaps, stinging Ping Qi and Ping Yan's faces.
Ping Chong opened his mouth, wanting to say a few words for his sons, but seeing his wife's resolute expression, he couldn't utter a single word.